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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

After 128 posts I have made the tough decision to bring this blog to it's conclusion.

I'd love to keep offering suggestions for ways to keep chill but I simply don't have the time to keep this blog up.

You can still email me and I'll keep this domain up for a while, but don't expect too much in terms of posts.

Good night :)

Posted by
Kole McRae
at

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

I am unsure if this might annoy some people, but it seems to be a concept that is very true (at least in my life) and I think will be true in other peoples lives:

You're emotions are controlled by internal forces but also by external.

You have probably heard of the term hangry. It's when someone is irritable and angry due to being hungry. With this simple concept in mind I have taken to thinking about any negative moods I might be in and seeing if the cause may be some sort of input or requirement. Maybe I'm annoyed because I had a small lunch and I'm hungry?

It also could be effecting you on a vitamin level. I found adding Omega 3's to my diet greatly reduced the amount of negative moods I get into. The same happened when I started eating more fresh veggies and less processed food. More vitamins = less bad moods.

less sleep = bad moods, less exercise = bad moods, etc. It seems a lot of these things could affect mood.

It might be time to start looking at your inputs and see if your bad mood may be caused by these things and see if you can possible fix them. Or at the very least understand them.

Posted by
Kole McRae
at

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

As any regular follower of this blog would know, I have a crippling addiction to Reddit. I can spend hours and hours browsing it and not notice the time go by.

I like to defend myself by saying even though I am browsing the web for hours, much like people watch TV for hours, I am at least learning new things and interacting with the community. I am discovering cool science and music as well as making new friends.

So I decided to put together a list of some of my favourite subreddits.

Without further ado:

To be honest I have a love/hate relationship with this subreddit. While it has some great info sometimes and lots of good tips, it can also dip into the woo and pseudo science side of things. I love the tips on minimalism but once they mention 'The Secret' or 'rebirth' and spiritual stuff I tend to get a bit uncomfortable.

Check it out though and enjoy!

Just what you would expect form it's title. It's a subreddit all about TEA! One of the best hot liquids in the world.

They show off tea collections, talk about how best to make it, explore new blends and more. Take a stroll through and see if anything catches your interest.

This subreddit is stock full of random little tips for your life. From ways to open a can without a can opener to how to make more friends.

Because no matter how bad you feel, kitties can always make you feel better. I wrote a book a while back about ways to become more chill, and kitties was certainly one of the top ten ways!

So browse some gosh darn kitties!

Posted by
Kole McRae
at

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

I talked about Songza a little bit ago. It's become my go to music service. I haven't even downloaded an illegal song in months now.

Today I thought I would share some of my favourite playlists that I listen to. Each one of these is incredibly chill in a very different way.

Without further ado:

This is what I tend to listen to during the day whilst I work. It has a lot of ambient music with a little bit of softer trip hop. Don't expect any heavy hitters though.

This was one of the first really chill ones I discovered. It has a very unique sound that works well in badly lit rooms or while sitting on a bus at night (as the title implies.)

This one is a very eclectic mix made up of numerous bands you probably have never heard of (at least I haven't!). It also throws in a few familiar tunes just to perk up your ears a bit.

Posted by
Kole McRae
at

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Today I am sitting at my computer with a cup of tea. It's a simple black tea that I've added a nice stick of cinnamon too. This has given it a flavour I didn't expect. It's dark and complex but also sweet and very nice.

I've done similar things by adding ginger to green tea and honey.

While we have all probably added sugar to tea there is a large amount of other unique flavours we can blend in with our favourite hot beverage.

Other things I've seen is folks mixing fruit with tea. This works best with ice teas and green teas. Though a white tea could go well. Especially with some lemon (cliche, I know.)

Cinnamon is one of my favourite flavours though, it's surprising that I haven't gotten around to adding it to my tea yet.
I've always added it to coffee though, and gosh is it amazing in coffee!

Posted by
Kole McRae
at

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

It seems I'm writing about a bunch of 'classic' bands recently. This is because I realized I had never written about them, and that's just plain not right.

Today I am going to write about a unique band that I'm told helped inspire 'Owl City.' The band is called 'The Postal Service.'

Here is one of there songs:

As you can tell, it's incredibly chill.

Recently it was announced that they are going on tour. I just might be at that Toronto show.

Here is another one of their songs. I am on a Postal Service kick at the moment and it's not a habit I want to give up.

Posted by
Kole McRae
at

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

That photo is one of the most iconic photos of the 1960's. A monk who set himself on fire in protest.

From what I've read the man sat still while his body was burned to a crisp. He made no noise and did not move throughout the process.

Say what you will about his reasons and suicide. This really shows you the power of meditation.

This man was able to sit still and completely ignore some of his bodies most basic warning signs. He ignored pain, he ignored fear, he ignored the need to breath and more.

Meditation gave this man a control over his body that no normal person would have.

If you are able to have that kind of control over your body, what kind of control can you have over your mind?

Meditation is a powerful tool to help you control stress, reduce anger and ultimately increase your general happiness.

Every so often I read too much about evolution psychology or something and start to think I have no control over my own thoughts and ideas (I'm just thinking this to help me find a mate) but in reality we do control how we live and think and feel.